proximity
Americannoun
noun
-
nearness in space or time
-
nearness or closeness in a series
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of proximity
First recorded in 1475–85; late Middle English; from Middle French proximité, from Latin proximitāt-, stem of proximitās “nearness, adjacent area, vicinity”
Explanation
The word proximity means nearness or closeness. "Because of the proximity of our desks, I couldn't help but notice him cheating on the exam." Your favorite thing about your neighborhood of attached row houses might be the proximity of your neighbors — they're really close to you. Proximity comes from the Latin proximus, "nearest," which also gives us approximate, "close to the actual." You can use this noun to talk about a physical closeness, or something that's near in time, like the proximity of the months April and May.
Vocabulary lists containing proximity
The Great Gatsby
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Hamilton
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1984
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She figured Dollywood was bound to be a success, given its proximity to Great Smoky Mountains National Park—the nation’s most-visited.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
But even people who don’t mean to hurt capybaras can still do harm to them, an unfortunate side effect of them living in such proximity to humans.
From Slate • May 27, 2026
The bigger story: China’s consumer internet is being reorganized around proximity.
From Barron's • May 23, 2026
The Ventura County Fire Department announced Wednesday evening that air quality monitoring is being conducted around the fire’s perimeter due to the blaze’s proximity to the Santa Susana Field Laboratory.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
But this was my first one-on-one lesson, and I didn’t feel comfortable in such close proximity to an adult male who wasn’t related to me.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
